Investigating probe-receptor interactions and enhancing fluorescence guided surgery with fluorescence lifetime imaging and NF-800 in HER-2 positive esophageal adenocarcinoma

FLIM (Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy) is a powerful technique used to study protein-protein interactions, enzyme kinetics dynamics, and cellular metabolism. It is also used in studying diseases like cancer, where changes in fluorescence lifetimes can indicate alterations in cellular physiology of malignancies. Recently, FLIM technology in fluorescence guidance has been applied in receptor-targeted clinical applications. Here, we propose the application of FLIM in two animal models of esophageal adenocarcinoma, xenograft and orthotopic with a HER-2 targeting probe (Nanofitin-IRDye800CW, NF-800 hereafter) previously developed. Moreover, the technique was used to further investigate the determinants of lifetime during probe-receptor interactions. The presented data indicates that FLIM is a powerful technique and, when coupled with NF-800, it could enhance tumor contrast, leading to new clinical applications in fluorescence guided surgery.